Patent GB-324640-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to tobacco-delivery systems for cigarette-making and other machines
IPC: A24C5/39
Filed: 1928-10-27
Abstract: 324,640. Grupe, W. F. Oct. 27, 1928. Cigarette-making machines. -A tobacco-delivery system for cigarette-making or other machines comprises a conduit extending from an initial charging station to one or more loading stations for the machines, means for conveying the tobacco through the conduit, and means at each loading station for abstracting from the conduit and delivering to one of the machines a charge of tobacco determined automatically by the requirements of the machine. The conduit may return to the charging station, which may be the discharge station of a conditioning apparatus, and enables the tobacco to be maintained in uniform condition as regards humidity &c. As shown, the main conduit 32 is connected by a conduit 33 to the charging station, which consists of a hopper 10 provided with a conveyer belt 12, a carded roller 14, and a carded brushing roller 17 from which any adhering tobacco is removed by a fan 19. The tobacco is discharged from the roller 14 by a picker roller 21 and a comb 22 and is directed on to a winnower 23, which deposits the tobacco on a conveyer belt 30 in the conduit 33. Undesirable matter is thrown by the winnower into a removable drawer 25 on a shelf 26. The tobacco is fed along the conduit 32 by a series of conveyer belts 34, each upwardly inclined and depositing the tobacco from its upper end on the succeeding belt. Plates 73 or picker rollers are provided at the ends of some of the belts for ensuring the complete removal of the tobacco from one belt and its deposition on the succeeding belt. The ends of the remaining belts are situated over apertures 37, each leading to a loading station and provided with a trap door 16. A shoot 43 over each aperture 37 is carried by a rock-shaft 49 provided with an overbalancing weight 52 movable between stops 53, 54, Fig. 4, a bell-crank lever 49 on the shaft 48 being connected by a link 64 and bell-crank 63 to a rod 62, movable by hand or automatically as described below. The lever 49 and an arm 50 on the shaft 48 are also connected to the trap door 46. In the normal position of the shoot 43, the side 45 directs tobacco from one belt 34 to the succeeding belt; while in the delivery position, the side 44 deflects the tobacco clear of the succeeding belt. The loading station beneath the apertures 37 consists of a hopper 65 provided with a conveyer belt 67, carded roller 69, dressing roller 70, comb 38, picker roller 71, and conveyer belt 72. The trap-door 46 and shoot 43 are controlled automatically by a charge-responsive device consisting of a hollow body 55 of aluminium or the like, which rests on the tobacco in the hopper 65 and is mounted on a lever 56 pivoted at 57 and provided with an adjustable counter-balance weight 58. The end 60 of the lever is forked to engage, with play, between the flanges of a sleeve 61 mounted on the rod 62, which may also be actuated by means of a crank 74 controlled manually or from a numbering device, a cigarette counter, or a counter operated by the cut-off mechanism of a cigaratte machine, so that the shoot may be controlled by the number of cigarettes formed from the charge in the hopper.